[PU6]≡ [PDF] Hour of the Wolf Steam and Stone Saga Book 1 eBook Andrius B Tapinas

Hour of the Wolf Steam and Stone Saga Book 1 eBook Andrius B Tapinas

Download As PDF : Hour of the Wolf Steam and Stone Saga Book 1 eBook Andrius B Tapinas

Hour of the Wolf Steam and Stone Saga Book 1 eBook Andrius B Tapinas

I so much wanted to love this book. I like steampunk, I am from a Slavic country, what's not to love? Well, the thing is, I do not know Lithuanian. So I had to read this book in English translation. And here is a problem - translation is a work of art. Or at last a craft. Google is not your friend even if you're trying to translate a manual. Google is your enemy when trying to translate a work of fiction.

I am not sure who translated this book - my Amazon-purchased copy did not have a translator's name anywhere prominent (and I will admit - I did not spend a lot of time looking), but I have this lurking suspicion that the author decided to do it himself. And while whoever did it has a knowledge of English, he (or she) most definitely has no FEEL of English. Idioms are not translatable, period. Not even a little bit. So while I could somehow figure most of it out, knowing one or two Slavic languages, I do not think English-only speaking reader would be as lucky.

Fluidity is important to me while reading a work of fiction. I hate being jerked out of the flow by "WHA...?" sensation. I want to be immersed in the action, not constantly flailing around trying to get a meaning, or just simply shaking my head. Here are some examples of this:

Fabric "greatly resembling a grey mouse" Huh??
"Broceours" what is that?? I guessed brokers or guides?

"Gouvernantes" - my guess was governesses.

"... in a wink of an eye." Really??? Not a blink?

"saw Lady Luck flying into his arms" - what the Hell??!!

"Wake him AFTER two hours." Seriously?

"We will look for the bridge when we get to the river" - which in real English is "we will cross that bridge when we come to it."

"...racking their about brains"?? No comment.

Sweetie instead of candy or sweets. "...Once you gave them a sweetie."?? OMG

One though guy calling another "my dear". While this sounds OK in several slavic languages, it does not in English. The context is just such that "my dear" throws you out and there you go again - your concentration is broken and the flow interrupted.

OK, here's a great one - "...he was polishing his knuckles against the background of Mila's sweet chirping." What would be your guess?

"Why don't you strain your Jewish peepers?" I actually thought this meant "why don't you stain your Jewish papers", and then upon a short reflection realized it means "why don't you look what you're doing, Jew?" And that short reflection is what made me make a note of it, instead of read on. That defies the purpose of reading, it really does. At least of reading for fun. This is more like grading the English works of Lithuanian junior high students. This is hard! I don't want a hard work while reading for entertainment.

This list could go on, unfortunately. I just refused to constantly take notes while reading for pleasure.

Why three stars? I still think this book has a great potential, and if translated correctly (or given a once-or-twice-over by an English editor) could be a modest hit. As it is, however, not so much.


Tags : Hour of the Wolf (Steam and Stone Saga Book 1) - Kindle edition by Andrius B. Tapinas. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading Hour of the Wolf (Steam and Stone Saga Book 1).,ebook,Andrius B. Tapinas,Hour of the Wolf (Steam and Stone Saga Book 1),FICTION Alternative History,FICTION Science Fiction Steampunk

Hour of the Wolf Steam and Stone Saga Book 1 eBook Andrius B Tapinas Reviews

Before I was two pages in, I could tell this book was written by a non-native writer of English. It has the twists and turns and crazy difficult names of a Russian epic, and is nearly as long! But likethe great Russian works, the final product is fully satisfying. Problems which might simply be solved by a better editor are easy to overlook in the final saga that combines two different deep political stories with a larger story of the magic and science of the steampunk setting.

I look forward to the next chance to wander the streets of Vilnius and eavesdrop on the political and personal lives of its residents.
The title intrigued me first. I started reading and immediately thought steampunk, a genre of which I've read a few somewhat silly novels. But this one was so detailed, so rich and layered with history, science, alchemy and good writing that I was hooked. The plot was hard to follow; I felt there were so many avenues, characters, subplots and political intrigues that I really had to keep up. It was still steampunk ironic humor, outrageous inventions, and a society that could never exist (or could it?). Author Tapinas made it believable or maybe allowed me to suspend disbelief so I could just enjoy myself -- which I did.
A well thought out Steampunk alternative history with a wonderfully twisty plot. The style of narrative fits the time period and the many details add to the feel of a real city. Of course this city has more than a few fantastic inhabitants who employ equally fantastic means to go after their goals leading to intrigue and action aplenty.

A well thought out Steampunk alternative history with a wonderfully twisty plot. The style of narrative fits the time period and the many details add to the feel of a real city. Of course this city has more than a few fantastic inhabitants who employ equally fantastic means to go after their goals leading to intrigue and action aplenty.

Although neither of my grandparents came from Vilnius, they each left Lithuania shortly after 1905. That did play a part in my choosing to read this book. Now I hope to read more of the history of Lithuania in this universe and definitely look forward to more of the Steam and Stone series.
Overall I'm calling this book 3-1/2 to 4 Stars, but with the caveat that some parts are only 1-2 Stars while others were close to 5 Stars. (Are you confused yet?)

Actually, confusion is one of the problems with this story. It does seem to jump around a lot and I was left confused at times. Another problem for me were the names of people and places. As an English speaker with a smattering of Deutsch, I had trouble pronouncing names, places and titles and trying to keep them all straight in my head. Some of the background information seemed overly long and was also confusing for me and I nearly stopped reading at one point. Finally I decided I liked a few special people (Legate Sidabras and his Legionnaires, Mila & her two scientist guardians & her mechanicals, Edward, Solomon, the Russian saboteurs, the Wolf, etc.) and I would only concentrate on them. After that I skimmed over everything until I got to these parts and then I'd read carefully. You may be able to do better, but for me that worked.

My verdict Yes I do recommend "Hour of the Wolf," but I also recommend that you concentrate on the characters you like best or it can get overwhelming.
I so much wanted to love this book. I like steampunk, I am from a Slavic country, what's not to love? Well, the thing is, I do not know Lithuanian. So I had to read this book in English translation. And here is a problem - translation is a work of art. Or at last a craft. Google is not your friend even if you're trying to translate a manual. Google is your enemy when trying to translate a work of fiction.

I am not sure who translated this book - my -purchased copy did not have a translator's name anywhere prominent (and I will admit - I did not spend a lot of time looking), but I have this lurking suspicion that the author decided to do it himself. And while whoever did it has a knowledge of English, he (or she) most definitely has no FEEL of English. Idioms are not translatable, period. Not even a little bit. So while I could somehow figure most of it out, knowing one or two Slavic languages, I do not think English-only speaking reader would be as lucky.

Fluidity is important to me while reading a work of fiction. I hate being jerked out of the flow by "WHA...?" sensation. I want to be immersed in the action, not constantly flailing around trying to get a meaning, or just simply shaking my head. Here are some examples of this

Fabric "greatly resembling a grey mouse" Huh??
"Broceours" what is that?? I guessed brokers or guides?

"Gouvernantes" - my guess was governesses.

"... in a wink of an eye." Really??? Not a blink?

"saw Lady Luck flying into his arms" - what the Hell??!!

"Wake him AFTER two hours." Seriously?

"We will look for the bridge when we get to the river" - which in real English is "we will cross that bridge when we come to it."

"...racking their about brains"?? No comment.

Sweetie instead of candy or sweets. "...Once you gave them a sweetie."?? OMG

One though guy calling another "my dear". While this sounds OK in several slavic languages, it does not in English. The context is just such that "my dear" throws you out and there you go again - your concentration is broken and the flow interrupted.

OK, here's a great one - "...he was polishing his knuckles against the background of Mila's sweet chirping." What would be your guess?

"Why don't you strain your Jewish peepers?" I actually thought this meant "why don't you stain your Jewish papers", and then upon a short reflection realized it means "why don't you look what you're doing, Jew?" And that short reflection is what made me make a note of it, instead of read on. That defies the purpose of reading, it really does. At least of reading for fun. This is more like grading the English works of Lithuanian junior high students. This is hard! I don't want a hard work while reading for entertainment.

This list could go on, unfortunately. I just refused to constantly take notes while reading for pleasure.

Why three stars? I still think this book has a great potential, and if translated correctly (or given a once-or-twice-over by an English editor) could be a modest hit. As it is, however, not so much.